Fortieth Annual Report of the Vermont Bird Records Committee

The Vermont Bird Records Committee (hereafter VBRC or the Committee) held its annual meeting on 14 November 2020 virtually via Zoom. The 40th annual report of the VBRC covers the evaluation of 76 records involving 45 species, 1 subspecies or ‘identifiable subspecific form’, 1 hybrid, and 1 family. Sixty-four records were accepted (84%) with the majority decided unanimously.

Highlights for 2020 included the state’s first and second accepted records of Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) from Alburgh, VT and Woodstock, VT, respectively, the first accepted record of King Rail (Rallus elegans) from Bradford, VT, the first accepted record of Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) from Highgate, VT, and the first accepted breeding record of Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) from Burlington, VT. Other notable reports from around the state include the second state record of Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), the second state record of Wilson’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus), the second state record of Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), the third and fourth state records of Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis), and the second state record of “Audubon’s” Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata auduboni). A detailed list of all the reports from 2020 is found in this report.